


Act II: Faunus

by translucyd



Series: This Side of Faunus Life [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:07:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22938385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/translucyd/pseuds/translucyd
Summary: Blake was revealed as a Faunus in one of the worst ways possible: With Myrtenaster piercing through her bow.Now its time to deal with the consequences, not only physical, of the fact that she was hiding who she was. (Was she though?)
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Adam Taurus, Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Bumbleby - Relationship, Coco Adel/Velvet Scarlatina, Crosshairs - Relationship, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee, Slight Schneekos, White Rose - Relationship
Series: This Side of Faunus Life [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1561630
Comments: 7
Kudos: 46





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> At the begin of this new Act, I would like to say some things. 
> 
> First of all, thank you very much for all those who a reading and giving kudos and commenting. It means a lot to me.  
> Second, I said that I would post here some versions of RWBY music I was doing but in the end it was much more hard then I expected. ~~When I finish it I'll post here :)~~ Links in the end!
> 
> Third, this is was where the story was originally supposed to start and again Its really hard to make believable characters and I really underestimated it. I promise I'm doing my best. haha
> 
> Finally, I maybe will start another fanfic as a training for this one, but worry not! I will keep writing this as the main one. And I'm not sure if I'll do it.
> 
> Thank you again and I hope you all enjoy this new act! :)
> 
> Finished Music Remixes:  
> Nevermore - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLI-bwtrLMQ
> 
> I May Fall - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLqsrX32A6c

With her name called, Blake moves to the front of the door, breathing anxiously. The name in the door, Dr. Saiko, was the name of her now new therapist. Her friends had forced her to attend. Yang even said she would carry her by herself if she didn’t go. Blake breathed deeply.

She knocked at the door, receiving a softy _come in_ as response. Inside was Dr. Saiko, holding some kind of clipboard and giving a warm smile towards her new patient. “Hello, Blake. Very nice to meet you.” She stood and gave her hand to shake, which Blake did shyly. She wave her hand to a comfortable chair, indicating Blake should sit there.

“Let me present myself.” She said while seating. “My name is Shirogane Saiko. I’m really happy you’re here, Blake. It takes a lot of courage to deal with yourself. Facing your fears is always the first step to get better.” 

Blake groaned a bit, diverging her eyes from the doctor. She wasn’t exactly there by her choice. Weiss had to help her out of bed this morning. “So, can we start with the beginning?” Saiko gave her another warm smile.

“You mean…” Blake resisted the urge to put her hand in her left ear, flicking it instead.

“It could be. But I was thinking in something more practical. Could you tell me who Blake Belladonna is?”

“I…” Blake focused her vision in her lap, clenching her hands. She changed a lot these last few months. She arrived at Beacon feeling like a sponge of anxiety, any push or touch would unleash it from her all pores, but these months with her team did her wonders. Blake had been the happiest she could remember. Now it was all gone. She deep breathed again, trying to recollect her thoughts. “I’m… a Faunus and… I like books and…” She stoped as the words disappeared replaced by the memories of Myrtenaster piercing her bow.

“Hey, Blake. That’s fine. Yes, you are a Faunus, but I must state here that whatever you are and wherever you came from, does not matter unless you want to discuss it. I want you to be sure that here is a safe place. Nothing you say or do will leave here.” The therapist’s eyes met amber ones. “And I say again, for me there is no difference in humans and Faunus in any way regarding them as people.”

Her left upper ear ached. She knew that the staff here at Beacon never looked at her differently, never treated her differently. But the fear and apprehension were too great, too deeply rooted in her to be ignored.

“How about we start from the beginning? How was your first day here at Beacon?”

“Right.” Yes, the beginning. She left the Fang, left Adam, and did not look behind. She started a new life here, where her past didn’t matter, where what she was didn’t matter. But life, unfair as it is, changed that.

“I’m not from Vale. So I got here a month before classes so I can prepare everything.” She didn’t wanted to say that she had to go through some hardships to get to Vale, arriving just in the morning of the first day.

“Did you came alone?” Saiko asked as she wrote something in her clipboard.

“Yes.” If she told her parents about Beacon they probably had come all the way from Menagerie. But that was for the old Blake. The one who didn’t shouted at them or did crimes they taught her that were wrong.

“I was reading a book when I saw a girl in red tripping and exploding some dust. Then she started to fight with another girl in white. They later will become my teammates, Ruby and… Weiss.” She moved her vision again towards her lap. Weiss. Even if was almost a month from the accident, the wounds ware still open. She could almost feel the way Myrtenaster pierced her ear, leaving a small scar. It was mostly hidden by her ears’ fur and, for now, bandages. How she woke up the day after.

Her mind was a bit foggy, probably due to some of the painkillers. Her brain was slow to turn itself on again and, when she opened her eyes, she saw Weiss holding her hand, her face screaming exhaustion. They talk silently through their eyes, hers still confused and wondering where she was, Weiss’ full of sadness.

“I’m sorry Blake… I’m…” Her voice cracked as tears rise to the heiress’ eyes and she blocked her mouth with the hands. She stood up and fled the room before Blake could say anything. Then she remembered what happened the previous night. Weiss’ Myrtenaster had pierced her bow and cut her upper left ear. Blake felt pain when both instinctively pinned a bit, returning to the rest position soon after. 

That’s when the sisters appeared shyly from right side of the room’s fake wall that separated the patient from the rest. She saw her pain reflected in their eyes. Also pity.

“Blake? Can we… come?” Yang quietly asked. With a nod, both sisters approached the left side of her bed.

“Blake.” Ruby says with tenderness. “How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?” The Faunus shook her head. 

Holding herself, she broke contact and looked the other way. “I’m... I’m sorry. I’m sorry I lied to you.” 

“What do you mean?” The team leader asks worried.

Blake didn’t answer, only releasing a grunt. Noticing her partner internal struggles, Yang decided that she must discuss some stuff with her. Alone. 

“Sis.” Yang puts her right hand in her sister’s shoulder. “Why don’t you go get some lunch for her? I bet she’s hungry.” She could almost feel the warm smile Yang was doing.

“That _is_ a good idea!” Ruby was gentle regarding her team. She was trying her best to keep up with her studies. And she was always there when any of the three needed. “I should not take long. See you soon Blake!” 

After her sister left, Yang sighed, turning to her partner. “Blake. I need you to look at me.” Her voice was firm, like an order. Blake fought with herself for a while, giving up when her partner cleaned her throat sarcastically.

“Why did you chose me?” Yang receives a confused look and mouth twist as response.

“What?” That was absolutely not the question she was expecting to hear.

“Why did you _choose_ me? I mean, I want to ask you this for a while now.” Yang touches lightly Blake’s forearm. “You’re a master of stealth. I was calling for Ruby all the time back in the forest. You chose to appear after you killed the Ursa.” She stops, close her eyes and breath heavily to gather courage. “So, why did you chose me?”

Blake blushed a bit with the complements but her face also showed mild confusion. Yang was _not_ a stealthy person, that’s for sure, and, to realise she approached her hidden in the woods, she must had put some thought in it. Blake opened her mouth and closed, trying to find the answer to a very different question she was prepared for.

“I… You… looked like a loving person.” She broke the eye contact, embarrassed. “You did reach me out the previous day and you wasn’t crazy… Well, not too crazy.” Yang pouted. “But you wanted Ruby to have friends, you cared and still care a lot about her. I think that’s why.” She flinched again with pain as her upper ears tried to move.

“Thats true, but I care about you too.” Yang said firmly. “I was actually happy that you showed up. You are a great person, a great partner and a great friend. Thank you for choosing me.” Blake focused again deep into violet eyes. She never saw the choice as more than something selfish, something that she did to preserve herself. She knew she had an effect in Yang’s life but Blake didn’t thought her presence was appreciated to that point. Well, at least _was_.

After the silence that stood in the room, Yang breathes again heavily. “Blake. Why didn’t you told us? This is not an accusation, I just want to know your reasons. I believe you have good ones, I _trust_ you.”

The Faunus stomach twisted and turned as Yang asked her. Here it is, her partner tried to sugar coat it but it was inevitable. Blake bit her lip as she recollected her thoughts. Does she should tell her about the Fang? About Adam?

“I’m… I think I was… I _am_ afraid.” Blake quietly says. She was feeling very vulnerable at that moment, having to talk about her fears and worries, even if it was Yang. “Remember what happened to Velvet? I was subjected to that most of my life. Almost all of it.” The Faunus put her left hand in her right shoulder. “Being a Faunus is harder than you can imagine, people hate me for what I am.” Blake went to lock eyes with her partner.

When she did, she saw soft and worried eyes that somehow mirrored her own feelings. She felt the blonde touch her left hand, in a sing of affection and care. The warmth that came from the other woman soothed her in a way she couldn’t explain.

“That’s why you had those nightmares? Did… did anyone hurt you while here at Beacon?” Blake melted a little while she lost herself in violet orbs.

“No. Not here at Beacon.” She moves her head, moving to stare to her lap. “ My bow did a good job to hide my ears. My nightmares were a whole other thing.” Her voice dropped to a depressed tone. “I was also living with the heiress of the SDC all my time here, I didn’t actually had luck in that area.”

“Weiss.” Yang quietly stated. “She was destroyed yesterday, you know? I don’t remember much after you were stabbed, to be honest.” She drops her eyes to the ground. “When I realised I was already in the infirmary, painting, and Weiss came very soon.”

“She was bossy and demanded you’d be treated immediately.” The blonde laughed to herself, turning then to her partner. “Do you know she stood by your side the whole night? That she didn’t even ate or slept? I was here too. Rubes was as well.” She could see her partner hugging herself. “Blake, you matter to us. To all of us. You being a Faunus doesn’t change that.”

“Of course it does!” Blake shouts, tears fleeing from her eyes. “Now that you know I’m not human, the team will broke up eventually because of me, because of the racism, because things like what happened to Velvet and…” Her words disappeared when Yang suddenly hugged her. No sound, no complaint. Just her warmth spreading through her body and her scent filling her nose.

“Blake. You’re our teammate. You’re my partner.” Now was Yang’s turn to have the voice failing. “Do you really think we’re gonna leave you?” Purple eyes locked into golden ones, making Blake’s heart skip a beat. “We are not like those people. Weiss was _worried_ about you. She didn’t stop crying for an hour after you got here in this bed.” Blake now noticed her partner’s clothes, the left shoulder, were tinted with her blood. 

“So please, let me show you that we care. That you’re the same Blake for us that you were until last night.” At that very moment, the nurse arrived for a check in the patient, driving Yang away.

“Blake?” The therapist stared worried at her. “Did I lost you there for a moment?”

“Yeah…”

“So, you were talking about your first day” She kindly reminded.

————

When Blake entered her team’s room corridor she heard her team. To be honest, you didn’t even needed to be a Faunus to hear how loud Yang and Ruby were. With a tired giggle, she stop and let her ears give her the current topic of the conversation. “Hey, didn’t Blake’s therapist ended at 3?” Yang interrupted Weiss. Yang seems to be in her bed and Weiss, who was studying, in the room’s desk.

“It started at 2 and should be one hour, yes.” She responded, annoyed. “Do you think she would be ok?”

“Yang.” Blake could hear the chair moving. “I did therapy for a while but that’s not it works. It’s different for every one.” She sighed. “That said, yes, I think she will be ok.”

“I am.” Blake appeared in the door, swiftly as always, all her teammates turning towards her. The absence of the makeup that she was wearing, together with heavy eye bags, made it obvious that she had cried. Both sister’s faces light up when they saw her. Yang was faster to hug her, though.

“I’m so proud of you!” Yang really needed to learn a lot of things like personal space and how to control her force in hugs, Blake thought while grunted. “How it was? Do you think it helped? Did you told her about…”

“ **YANG** ” Weiss shouted from the desk, her stare saying how much she disapproved her questions. “Stop asking her that. Therapy is tiring and the subject and what happened is for Blake alone.” She cleaned her throat. “Unless Blake want to share it.” The heiress smile towards Blake who mouthed _thanks_.

“Sorry…” Yang stepped aside hugging her elbow and looking downwards.

After thanking Weiss with a smile, Blake touched her partner’s shoulder. “It’s fine, Yang. I’m just pretty tired, can we talk after I sleep a bit?” Feeling less discouraged, Yang nodded and the Faunus went towards the wardrobe. Ruby got her next. Her hug was kind, soft and she could feel how much her leader was worried with her. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was placed such amazing teammates.

When she reached her so-wanted bed, Blake didn’t even realise the sight she let out. She was tired, destroyed. Her mind was heavy and sorta fogged after the session and her pillow hugged her better than ever did before. She let her body tell how much he was happy she was finally laid down, finally in the safety of her space. 

Even with the hearing as good as she had, it was like her brain wasn’t in the mood to process it and, to Blake, everything was a muffled low sound. She was feeling _very_ tired and _very_ sleepy and still she had a hard time sleeping. Not this afternoon, though. She drifted to an asleep state hearing a muffled Ruby explaining a new upgrade she was doing to Crescend Rose.

* * *

Yang was staring as the nurse changed her bandages. It could be better if she saw her naked than in this situation. Blake felt humiliated. The tears started to fall again and the only thing she could do was hug herself. 

“Are you in any pain?” Noticing her body language and the tears, the nurse asked Blake with a caring but worried voice.

“N-No.” She wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

“Here.” The nurse gave her a disposable handkerchief. “Girl, I know what you are feeling, it hurts. Not only physically. But I must say that, I can count on one hand how many times a person’s whole team stayed here until a patient wake up like yours did.” Blake was first enraged with her, only to notice a second after the nurse’s orange fox tail. She then stared at her partner as the nurse finished. “You are a lucky girl. You both are.” Silently gathered her equipment and before leaving, completed. “You must turn on your aura to heal this cut. Remember that your emotions can interfere with that, take care.”

Fortunately, Ruby had arrived while the nurse got her stuff so she didn’t had to talk with Yang about what the nurse said. Blake only now noticing the amazing smell that was spreading in the room. “Hey. Tuna sandwich with some fries and a vanilla milkshake. Isn’t that your favourite?” Blake nodded. “You always liked fish in general, right?.” She focus on Blake upper ears while giving her teammate the food, blushing the next second. “That’s kinda make sense now.” Yang hit her sister as a response, giving her a cold stare so she could shut up.

Blake did a watery giggle seeing the sisters interact. Only Ruby and Yang were able to make a very uncomfortable subject a funny one, being cuties while doing it. “Did you guys saw Weiss? I searched for her while I waited for the food but she’s not in the courtyard.” Blake stared sadly at her food with the mention of the heiress name.

“Maybe she’s in our dorm?” Yang responded.

“Could be. I’ll try to call her. But first.” Ruby turns to Blake, eyes determined as Yang’s was a while ago. “Blake, as the leader of team RWBY I will never let anyone mock or bully you for being a Faunus. I’ll accept no excuse. We’ll be at your side ok?” She smiled, hugging the Faunus awkwardly. “I call when if I find her. If she come back here you call me?” Yang nods back to her sister. Ruby left and Blake was speechless. She was receiving so many warm feelings and support from both Ruby and Yang, a thing she could never have imagined when she fled the Fang. Weiss was a whole different story, she didn’t believe that Weiss was so indifferent as the sisters were. In the end, the team will break nonetheless. She could picture the heiress screaming at her by hiding her heritage, for shaming her family like that.

She had just began again her burger, her body rewarding her with very good chemicals due the fatty and heavy food, when she realises her partner’s grin long after, a grin typical from when Yang thought she was right,

“Toldya. I trust my lil Rubes. I’ll talk with the missing teammate. Call me if you need anything.” Yang winks and leave Blake with her food. It was now time to deal with Weiss.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I'm sorry for the disruption in the flow of chapters. Ironically, I have now less time to write (I did it mainly in boring classes). But I think now I got it again.
> 
> So, new chapter! I hope you enjoy it! Now comes some sadness and guilt in the series but it will get better, I promise.

Weiss ran as far as she could. She ran until she didn’t recognize the trees. Panting heavily, she threw her back at a wall, her muscles aching for the sudden burst of speed. The events of the last hours were starting to weight on her, definitely.

As the adrenaline faded down, her brain started to work again. The questions still there. “ _Why_ Blake was a Faunus?” Weiss thought. “Why she never told us? Why she hided herself?”. Of course, Weiss knew the answers to all those questions. She could just look in a mirror to know.

 _How could she?_ _Who she thought she was to hide something of this magnitude from me?_ _What father would say?_ were the first questions that appeared in her mind as soon she reached the infirmary. _Why didn’t she told me?_ was the next, followed by a swirl of emotions that made her stomach hurt.

She didn’t even realize that Ruby was next to her until she touched softly her right forearm. “Weiss…?” The leader asks concerned.

“ **Don’t touch me!** ” Weiss took her hands to her head shouting in defense, not realizing the tears fleeing from her eyes. Ruby ignored her plea though, pushing her lightly to a chair and hugging her inside her cloak, the heiress giving in when she felt her leader arms around herself. She wept for a while, her voice broken and sad when she spoke. “Why… Why could I do something like this.” She felt the hug tighten.

“Weiss, it was not your fault, I was there.” Ruby kindly asserted.

“But was _my_ Myrtenaster who did it. _I_ was fighting with her” The heiress starts crying again. “I was stupid enough to not realize what I was doing.”

“Weiss, Blake overdid it as well. She knows who you are, she knows you are _not_ your family.” Yang enters the conversation, with crossed arms and a leg and back resting in the wall. “I don’t know why she did what she did, but let’s not forget that she is our teammate. Faunus or not.”

“I know she is but…” The heiress’ cracked voice stopped once more while emotions overwhelmed her. “What I’m going to do now?”

Ruby squeezed her friend, Yang threw her stare to the corridor. She never had to deal with such a complicated situation before, Ruby thought. Her life until now was mainly simple even with her mother’s death. She was dead, that was it. Nothing more to do besides mourn and pain. Yang made her childhood the best she could, and she was really grateful for it, but she knew that Weiss didn’t have the same luck. Her relation with her father was one of the subjects no one touched, just like her mother’s death in her case, and by consequence she only knew she had a rough childhood. She couldn’t estimate how much the Faunus were intertwined in her friends life.

Lucky, the nurse and a doctor brought Blake in a stretcher, going through the uncomfortable silence hanging in the air. After they put the unconscious Faunus in the room’s bed, they came to talk with the rest of the team.“I hope you’re happy to break the regulations and fighting until your aura is over.” The nurse’s tail waved fast, indicating her feelings. “Ok. What happened?”

Silence.

“Fine. You can talk with Professor Ozpin when he comes here.” With three pairs of wide eyes as the cue, both adults left the room. The girls exchanged scared looks until Ruby broke the silence, breathing deeply.

“Ok. As the team leader I’ll talk with him and take the responsibility.” Ruby said with a shaken voice.

“Are you insane?” Yang’s eyes instantaneously turned red. “Do you really think I would let you do that?” Ruby flinched.

“She is right, Ruby.” She felt Weiss hand atop hers. “We’re in this together, I… I’m one of the responsible for that. I took the bait.”

“You did indeed.” Ozpin completed for the shock of three huntresses in training. “Hello team RWBY. I suppose your teammate is resting in the other side of the room?” His hands were softly supported by the cane.

“Yes… Professor…” The three responded quietly in chorus. He walked towards the bed in the other side of the division narrowing his eyes when she saw Blake. “Oh my.” He turns towards the girls. “Did you knew that she…”

“No.” Ruby interrupted the teacher in a deep cold voice. “But it doesn’t matter.” She continued. “She is still the same person for us.” Resolute silver eyes stared first at purple and blue, then into Ozpin’s.

“I expected nothing less, Miss Rose.” He said narrowing her eyes. “But I still expect an explanation. How she was hurt?”

It was Weiss who answered. “We were talking and… drinking in JNPR’s room, sir.” Said the heiress, hesitating. “I was… not the best towards the Faunus when we were talking about the last White Fang robbery and… She was angry at my family and asked me to a duel and I accepted without thinking.” Blue eyes were staring at the ground while its owner spoke.

“Weiss?” A redhead with a tiara broke Weiss’ train of thought. She was standing in front of the heiress looking at her with a worried face. “I saw you running into the forest in a way I never saw before and I got worried, so I followed you. What happened” Pyrrha completed.

Weiss' stomach twisted and turn with the familiar face and the only thing she could do was cry. Pyrrha keeled and offered a warm hug, which the heiress readily accepted. She really felt safe in those arms and, even if unconsciously, she let her tears run free for some time. After a while, Weiss could finally mutter some words. “It’s Blake, Pyrrha. I’m the problem. Just look to my family… Imagine when they discover that I have a Faunus in my team?”

The redhead breathed deeply, formulating an answer. “You will explain that is how Beacon works and why you don’t share the same opinions on them.” She replied softly. “Weiss, from what I know you, you are only suffering like this because you _care_ about Blake, no matter what she is. Am I wrong?” Weiss shook her head and Pyrrha broke the hug to look at her friend, holding her hands. “You’re Weiss, first of all. The Schnee part comes later.”

Weiss felt warmth inside her heart for the first time since the party. Squeezing her friend’s hand, she tiredly continued. “I don’t know what to do, Pyrrha. I hurt my friend and I don’t know how fix this.”

“Wherever happens, I know both teams JNPR and RWBY will be on your side. We are your friends, we will help you in this difficult situation. You're **not** alone.” She completes with a smile.

Blushing slightly, Weiss wiped the tears and some makeup in her sleeve. “What do you think I should do now?”

“Is Blake cared?” Weiss nods. “Did you had any sleep tonight?” She shakes her head. “What about I go with you in the cafeteria, so you can eat something, and then you go to your room to bathe and sleep? Things are always easier when we are rested.” With this said, Pyrrha stood and gave her hand to help Weiss do the same.

They walked silently towards one of the main buildings, the heiress too tired to talk or think in any of the implications. When the two girls were approaching the entrance to the cafeteria, a blur of yellow almost knocked down them. “Goddamn Yang! What are you…”

Weiss was silenced by an unexpected hug. A hug with a warmth only possible to receive from her teammate. “Weiss, where were you being?” The blonde says squeezing her teammate harder.

“She ran and I followed her towards the forest.” Pyrrha answered.

“Yang…. I can’t…… Breathe…. “ The heiress groans as Yang release her. “Yang. I must first say so…”

“A-pa-pa….” The blond interrupts with a hand up. “You first going to eat something and go rest. Then you can say wherever you decided. Just don’t forget that we still are your teammates, and we still will be there for you if you want.” She finishes with a smile.

“Fine…” Weiss says looking away towards a giggling Pyrrha.

———————————

Now, with the belly full and the painkillers not clouding her judgement, Blake sat hugging her legs, recalling the events of last night. She let her anger make the best of her, didn’t her? She wanted so badly to hurt a Schnee once in her life and that backfired in a way she didn’t even understand.

Does that mean that they’ll always win? Does that mean that using force and brutality will always end in loss for the Faunus? Or Adam was right, and we needed to push even further?

She knew that, wherever happened, even with her team trying to take the blow, the fact she’s a Faunus will make their life miserable. That eventually happened to everyone around her and, with the wound, she couldn’t even hide her ears again. Her body and her mind were screaming for her to leave Beacon and begin again somewhere else but... could she survive the trip? Would the Fang get her before she is safe again?

At least her teammates brought Gambol Shroud with them, makes things easier. Breathing deeply she stands and look for some bandages and tape to take care of her wound. After stashing them in an improvised bag, Blake takes her weapon and her ribbon and find the best tree to wrap Gambol, so she can do what she thought what she did best: to flee once.


End file.
